WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE RAINFOREST?

We are losing many plants, animals and insects from the rainforest.. Rainforests use to cover about 14% of the earth's land surface; now they cover just 6% and it is likely that there will be no rainforests left in less than 40 years. Rainforest experts estimate that the rainforests are losing 137 plants, animals and insect species every day due to rainforest destruction. That is about 50,000 species a year. As the rainforest species disappear so do the cures for many life threatening diseases.

Most rainforests are being destroyed by chainsaws, bulldozers and fires for wood and farming. There were around 10 million Indians living in the Amazonian Rainforest 500 years ago. Today there are less than 200,000 people living there.